Tractor implement



4 Sheets-Sheet l Fild Feb. 25, 1940' Znafqrzn AQM Z, CU J 5; @MQF M i/Z,

J n 7, 19 A. c. LINDGREN TRACTOR IMPLEIVIEIJ'J? Filed Feb. 23, 1940 4Sheets-Sheep 2 y wy and Q fi mC) P June 27, 1 944.

A. C. LINDGREN TRACTOR IMPLEMENT Filed Feb. 23 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 5VM W,

June 1944- A. c. LINDGREN TRACTOR IMPLEMENT Filed Feb. 23 1940 4Sheets-Sheet 4 r Hz a v 0 w a I! w w z 1 fiCMLQ I r Patented June 27,1944 "Alexus C. Lindgren, Chicago'jIlL, 'assignor to InternatlonalHarvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application February 23,1940, Serial No. 320,462

' 1 Claim. (CI. 97-47) This invention relates to tractor implements andmore particularly to a type of implement for :small tractors. It is anobject of this invention to provide an arrangement for the connection ofan implement to a small tractor whereby plow furrows can be made withthe same spacing as with implements connected to large size tractors;

It is another object of the invention to provide, in such an implementadapted for small beam and plow upon lateral adjustment of the same.Means is also provided for connecting the beam with respect to the linksso that the links can remain parallel to each other and not,in

their converged arrangement. With the links parallel, lateral adjustmentdoes not effect autosize tractors, means for laterally shifting theworking tool beam and its ground working tool from one side of a neutralposition to another side of a neutralposition depending upon theparticular rear wheel of the tractor that may be running either in theplowed furrow 'or the wheelnearest to the plowed land.

It is still another object of the invention to provide means included inthe means for laterally adjusting the tool beam with respect to thetractor, whereby the forward portion of this beam will beautomaticallyadjusted with the rear portion of the beam by means reactingautomatically against the tractor. I

It is still another andimportant object of the invention to provide inthe supporting means an arrangement of its parts whereby leveling of theplow may be effected automatically with the lat eral shifting of theplow beam and its plow.

According to the present invention, the tractor implement, is a middlebusterhaving a longitudinally extending beam connected at its forwardend to the tractor for pivotal and lateral adjustment at a locationahead of the rear axle structure thereof, and at its rear portion to therear axle structure by a supporting means adapted to be operatedmanually to effect lateral adjustment of the rear portion of the beam.In order to efiect lateral adjustment of the forward portion of thebeam, there is provided a rotatable means carried by the beam andadapted to react against the tractor whereby the forward portion of thebeam will be automatically laterally adjusted. The supporting means forthe rear portion of the beam comprises, generally, two downwardlyextending, swingably, and laterally adjustable links. When the tractorwheels are laterally adjusted so that it is desired to operate one in aplowed furrow, these swingable links are arranged to converge downwardlyso that, when lateral adjustment of the beam is effected from theneutral to a side position, one of the links will tend to becomevertical with the ground and the other will have become more greatlyinclined, thereby effecting automatic leveling of the plow maticleveling of the plow. With the plow s0 connected, the tractor wheelsboth run on unplowed ground. For a better understanding of theinvention, reference may behad to the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a tractor with the implement of thepresent invention attached thereto; I

Figure 2 is a plan view of the tractor and the implement;

' Figure 3 is a rear view of the tractor and implement, the tractorhaving its wheels adjusted to a wide setting with one of the samerunning in a furrow and the implement laterally adjusted awayirom thewheel running in the furrow;

Figure 4 is a'similar rear view of the tractor and implement, thetractor having its wheels set in a narrow setting with the implement inits neutral position;

Figure 5 is a view in elevation taken along the line 1- of Figure 1,showing a portion of the tractor and of the connection of the implementtherewith;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5,showing the forward portion ofthe implement beam shifted to one side ofa neutral position; and,

Figure 7 "is a detail view, showing the connection of the rotatablemember with the rear axle housing of the tractor.

Referring now particularly to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a tractorofthe type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,221,546, issued November 1940in the names of Edward A. Johnston and Alexus C. Lindgren. This tractoris 0! small size and arranged with its power plant It) and Ilongitudinally extending body portion ll located at one side of thecenter line to provide for full vision of an operator located at anoperator's station 12, which is on the opposite side of the center line.The rear wheels ii of this tractor are so constructed and so connectedto the rear axle structure ll that they may be reversed to" have a widesetting, as shown in Figure 3, or arranged to have the narrow setting,as shown in connected a depending supporting structure Ii comprising, ingeneral, a pair of downwardly and rearwardly extending members l4 and I1connected tothe tractor at l 8, a second pair of downwardly andforwardly extending members II and 20 connected to the tractor at 2|,and a shaft 22- interconnecting all four of said depending members attheir lower ends. The shaft 22 provides means for connecting the forwardend of a tool beam 23 to the depending structure I5. for pivotal andlateral adjustment.

On the rear of the tractor there are two vertically extending supportmembers 24 and 25 held, respectively, in their upright position by bracemembers 26 extending forwardly on the top portion of the rear axlestructure and connected thereto at 21. With these. brace members soconnected, the vertical members -24 and 25' are held rigidly to providea support for a rock-shaft 28 therebetween, which is adapted to berocked by a hand lever 29 located forwardly of the operator's station I2and connected to an arm 20 on the rock-shaft 28 by a thrustmeans in theform of a link 3|. The lever 28 has the usual latch mechanism 32 adaptedto cooperate with a quadrant and, upon the lever being pulledrearwardly, the rock-shaft will be rotated in a clockwise direction, asviewed in Figure 1, to effect vertical movement of arms 34 and. 35rigidly. connected with the rock-shaft and extending rearwardly thereof.V

To the rear ends of the arms 34 and '35 there are pivotally connected ona transverse axis, respectively, the trunnion blocks 36 and 31, to thetrunnions on each of which there are connected 7 for pivotal movement onlongitudinal axes, re-

spectively, the swingable pairs of links 38 and 29. To the lower ends ofthese links, there is pivotally connected a transverse member.- 40,which is rigidly connected with the rear portion of the plow beam 23 atIf. These parts of links permit lateral swingable adjustment of the beamstructure 23 with respect to the tractor. In order to effect thislateral adjustment there is provided (see Figures 3 and 4), a diagonallydisposed thrust member 42 connected at one end. to the lower end of theswinging links 38 at their point of connection with the member 40.. Theopposite end of the thrust member 42 is formed to provide a segmentportion 43, about which a lever 44 may be adjusted. This lever 44 has areversed portion. 45 at its lower end pivotally connected to the pointof connection of the links 39 with the trunnion 31 and also pivotallyconnected at 48 to the thrust member 42. An adjustment of this lever 44about the quadrant 43 to one side or to the other side of a neutralposition 41, will effect lateral adjustment of the tool beam to onearranged in the wide setting and the wheel at the right running in apreviously plowed furrow III, the plowing being accomplished by means amiddle buster polw ll carried by the rear portion of the beam 23 wherethe dirt is thrown in both directions to form a ridge portion 52. withthe small type tractors the wheels II, when set in their wide setting,are spaced 68 inches whereas, it the plow was to be set centrally of thetractor, the only furrow spacing that could be accomplished would behalf of the 68 inches, or 34 inches. With the larger tractors, it ha;been 2 customary to have furrow spacings of amounts the plow laterallyaway to a greater degree with side or to the other side of its neutralposition.

The lever 44, when moved to a position 48, effects movement of the beamto the left, asviewed in Figures 3 and 4, and away from the rear tractorwheel running closest to the plowed land, or, as in the case of Figure3, running in a furrow. Adjustment of the lever 44 to a position 48 willeffect lateral adjustment of the plow beam 23 away from the oppositewheel, which will be operating nearest to the plowed ground or in thefurrow upon the return travel of the tractor across the field beingplowed. It should now be apparent that means is provided for supportingthe rear portion of the plow beam 23. from the rear axle structure l4 ofthe tractor in such a manner that lateral adjustment of the same may beeffected and that manual means including the lever 44 may be used foraccomplishing this result.

In Figure 3, there are shown the wheels i3" manual lever 44 to at theirnarrow settings,

greater than 34 inches. Therefore, in order to provide for a largerfurrow spacing for small tractors, the provision for laterally adjustingthe plows is herewith made. By being able to adjust from the tractor wrunning in the furrow, a he furrow spacing of 36 inch In order'toprovide a means for effecting levelmg of the plow automatically with thelateral adjustment of the plow, the links I. and II are connected, asshown in Figure 3, with the transso that, when the low is trallylocated, these links will cont rge 40 wardly. As the plow beam isadjusted by the a position away from the wheel I3 traveling in thefurrow III, the links II will tend to become vertical while the links awill effecting automatic leveling The length of the beam are such as toprovide the proper amount of leveling for the normal furrow depth. Asthe tractor is turned about at the end of the fle'ld to proceed acrossthe field with wheel inthe furrow and with the Plow ll shifted away fromthat wheel, the links 34 would then become vertical and the links I!would be angled the vertical. Thus, it

Where greater furrow spacings are desired than that accomplished withthe arrangement shown in Figure 3, the tractor wheels II are set run onthe unplowed ground. The wheel I4 nearest to the plowed ground maytravel close or removed from the edge wall of the previously formedfurrow. Since both'wheels, as shown in l igure 4, are running on theunplowed ground, provide for automatic tiltmg of the plow 5| when it islaterally adjusted. Therefore, the swingable links 24 and 39 arearranged to be vertical in the neutral position I shown in Figure 4, andare angled alike when the plow 1s laterally adjusted. In other words,

- the lower ends of the swingable links ll and II, I the transverse 53and 54, respectively, are con- .instead of being connected to member 40at v the opposite rear so that both wheels are nected at 55 and 56,respectively. With this arrangement, as shown in Figure 4, furrow rowspacings-up to 42 inches may be had.

In order to insure that there will be a lateral adjustment of theforward portion of the beam 23 with respect to the rod 22, there hasbeen provided means adapted to react against the tractor so that theforward portion will be autoconnected at a point 63 centrally of thedepending structure I5. The arm 6| 'at the rear end is connected bymeans of a jockey link 64 to a depending housing 65 of the rear axlestructure I. By the connection of the arms 69 and SI, respectively, withthe depending structure I and with the depending housing 65, it shouldbe seen that lateral movement will automatically be given to the forwardportion of the beam 23v as the rear portion of the beam is adjusted bythe manual lever 44. The jockey link 64 provides for up and downmovement of the beam about its pivotal connection with the rod 22 as thebeam is lifted or adjusted to transport position on the tractor.

The thrust means 3| connecting the lever 29 with the arm 39 of therock-shaft 29 includes telescoping parts 68 and 66'. These telescopingparts have lost motion in order to permit the plow to rise verticallyduring its operation due in these holes will thereby change the point ofreaction on the tractor. As shown in Figure 6, the forward portion ofthe beam will be thrown so that the arm 69 is at an angle to the rightor left of the location of the same, as shown in Figure 5. The links 38and 39 respectively have hole means II and 12, respectively, whereby thetransverse member 49 may be given a vertical adjustment with respect tothe arms of the rock-shaft, thereby in eflect shortening the length ofthe links 38 and 99. This adjustment is convenient when the middlebusters are being used to open previously formed ridges, since tounevenness of the ground. This lost motionv is taken up upon operatingthe lever 29 to effect lifting of the plow to transport position. Toassist in the lifting operation, there is provided a helper spring 61anchored to the tractor at 69 and may be connected to the lever 29 at avariety of locations 69. The plow depth may be adjusted by the lever 29by the setting of the same at any location on the quadrant 93, but asthe lever is pulled back to its full extent the plow bottom is lifted toits full extent on the quadrant.

In order to provide greater or less lateral throw of the arm BI withrespect to the depending housing 55, the jockey link 64 may be connectedto the depending housing 65 in any one Or more of the holes Ill. Theadjustment of this link .64

when opening previously formed ridges both wheels will run in thepreviously formed furrows.

It should now be apparent from the foregoing that a plow structure hasbeen provided for small tractors whereby the same furrow spacings may behad as with tractors of larger size. In being able to laterally adjustthe tractor wheels between narrow and wide settings and by being able tolaterally adjust the plow beam to one side or the other of neutralposition, this has been accomplished.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction of thisinvention, it should be understood that such changes shall be within thespirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appendedclaim.

What is claimed is:

In combination, a tool-supporting structure having spaced wheels, one ofwhich is arranged to run in a furrow, a working tool, means for soconnecting the working tool to the tool-supporting structure as toprovide for simultaneous lateral and leveling adjustment of the sameupon the working tool being laterally moved, and

'means for atflustably moving the working tool comprising a tool-liftingstructure, links depending at their ends from said tool-liftingstructure in spaced relation laterally of the tool-supporting structureand having pivotal connections at such ends with the tool-liftingstructure to facilitate swinging of said links laterally of thetool-supporting structure, retool-supporting member extending betweenand having pivotal connections with the other ends of said links to alsofacilitate the swinging thereof, and the lateral spacing of said linksat the first-named ends being different than at said other ends, wherebyupon lateral adjustment of the working tool the same will be leveled aswell as laterally adjusted as when the one wheel is arranged to run inthe furrow.

ALEXUS C. LINDGREN.

